Customizable trading display of market data

ABSTRACT

A method for providing a customizable trading display of market instrument data includes selecting a subset from a plurality of quadrants, each quadrant associated with one benchmark instrument and at least one non-benchmark instrument, each non-benchmark instrument associated with the benchmark instrument. Market data is automatically retrieved for the instruments associated with each selected quadrant. The customizable trading display is then generated with the display comprising the subset of quadrants and each quadrant including the associated market data.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to the field of data processing and,more specifically, to a customizable trading display of market data.

BACKGROUND

Trading systems include one or more workstations that present expandedmarket data to traders and allow them to offer bids or sales for variousfinancial instruments based on the presented market data. Contemporarytrading systems attempt to provide traders with up-to-date market databased on the trader's particular requirements. These trading systemsnormally are configured prior to or during installation on the trader'sworkstation. Often, the configurations are static or unchangeable,thereby providing the trader with a fixed display presenting expandedmarket data.

SUMMARY

This disclosure provides a system and method for providing acustomizable trading display of market data. In one embodiment, themethod includes selecting a subset from a plurality of quadrants, eachquadrant associated with one benchmark instrument and at least onenon-benchmark instrument, each non-benchmark instrument associated withthe benchmark instrument. Market data is automatically retrieved for theinstruments associated with each selected quadrant. The customizabletrading display is then generated with the display comprising the subsetof quadrants and each quadrant including the associated market data.

In another embodiment, the method further includes receiving a selectionof a new benchmark instrument from one of the selected quadrants. Areplacement quadrant is selected from the plurality of quadrants, thereplacement quadrant associated with the new benchmark instrument.Market data is automatically retrieved for the instruments associatedwith the replacement quadrant. The customizable display is then updatedbased on the replacement quadrant, the replacement quadrant includingthe new market data.

In yet another embodiment, each instrument comprises a market depth andthe method further includes generating each quadrant based on a defaultmarket depth for each associated instrument. The current market depth ofone instrument is updated in response to receiving a market depth updaterequest, the market depth update request comprising a market depth valuedifferent from the current market value of the instrument to be updated.The quadrant associated with the updated instrument is then expandedbased on the updated market depth. Another quadrant associated with thefirst quadrant is selected and expanded to match a size of the firstquadrant. Then, the remaining quadrants are scaled to maintain a size ofthe customizable trading display

The invention has several important technical advantages. Variousembodiments of the invention may have none, some, or all of theseadvantages. One advantage of the present invention is that it provides atrading display that may be customized according to a trader's needs orwishes. These customizations may occur at run-time to allow the traderto dynamically filter market data or expand on the market data currentlypresented. Further, the present invention may provide a scaleabledisplay that incorporates the trader's customizations without requiringresizing of the entire display or loss of content. Other technicaladvantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to oneskilled in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure and itsadvantages, reference is now made to the following descriptions, takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example trading system for providing acustomizable trading display of market data in accordance with oneembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2A illustrates an example trading display as might be presented bythe trading system of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 2B-C illustrate example trading quadrants with expandable marketdepth in accordance with the system in FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3A-D illustrate an example trading quadrant including selectableinstruments in accordance with the system in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example method for providing acustomizable trading display of market data in accordance with oneembodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIGS. 5A-B are flowcharts illustrating example methods of processingdynamic customizations to the trading display by a trader.

DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a trading system 100 includingone or more customizable trading displays 116 according to oneembodiment of the present disclosure. At a high level, trading system100 is a client/server environment comprising at least one client 102, aserver 104, and one or more data providers 106, but may also be astandard computing environment or any other suitable environment. Ingeneral, trading system 100 comprises a system for providing a trader,or other user of client 102, with the ability to customize tradingdisplay 116 of market data 118, normally received from one data provider106 and stored in a central repository 110 on server 104. For example,trading system 100 may comprise a market system that compiles U.S.Treasury benchmark and non-benchmark instrument data, automaticallypresents the compiled instrument data to a trader via customizabledisplay 116, and dynamically processes any appropriate customization oftrading display 116 based on requests from the trader. Generally, thebenchmark instrument is the most recently auctioned issue for one of thematurities. The term “automatically,” as used herein, generally meansthat the appropriate processing is substantially performed by at leastpart of trading system 100. It should be understood that “automatically”further contemplates any suitable user or trader interaction with system100 without departing from the scope of this disclosure. The term“dynamically,” as used herein, generally means that certain processingis determined, at least in part, at run-time based on one or morevariables.

Server 104 comprises any computer including a central repository 110 andcommunicably connected to at least one client 102 and/or one dataprovider 106. For example, server 104 may be a general-purpose personalcomputer (PC), a Macintosh, a workstation, a Unix-based computer, aserver computer, or any other suitable device. FIG. 1 only provides oneexample of computers that may be used with the disclosure. For example,although FIG. 1 illustrates one server 104 that may be used with thedisclosure, system 100 can be implemented using computers other thanservers, as well as a server pool. The present disclosure contemplatescomputers other than general purpose computers as well as computerswithout conventional operating systems. As used in this document, theterm “computer” is intended to encompass a personal computer,workstation, network computer, or any other suitable processing device.Computer server 104 may be adapted to execute any operating systemincluding UNIX, Windows, or any other suitable operating system so longas server 104 remains communicably connected to client 102. According toone embodiment, server 104 may be a remote web server. In short, server104 may comprise any computer with software and/or hardware in anycombination suitable to present client 102 with market data stored in acentral repository 110. Central repository 110 includes a variety ofmarket data 118 from one or more data providers 116. Central repository110 comprises any physical or logical description of data storageoperable to be defined, processed, or retrieved by externallyimplemented code. For example, central repository 110 may comprise oneor more eXtensible Markup Language (XML) tables or documents. In anotherexample, central repository 110 may comprise a relational databasedescribed in terms of SQL statements or scripts, flat files, Btrievefiles, or comma-separated-value (CSV) files. Central repository 110 maycomprise a plurality of tables stored on one server 104 or across aplurality of servers 104. Moreover, central repository 110 may be localor remote without departing from the scope of this disclosure. In short,central repository 110 is any data storage comprising at least a subsetof market data 118 that is communicably connected to at least one client102.

Each client 102 is any trading workstation or device operable to presentthe trader with customizable trading display 116 via a graphical userinterface (GUI). At a high level, illustrated client 102 includes GUI116, memory 120 and processor 125 and comprises an electronic computingdevice operable to receive, transmit, process and store any appropriatedata associated with trading system 100. It will be understood thatthere may be any number of clients 102 coupled to server 104, asillustrated by client 102 a and client 102 b. Further, “client 102” and“user of client 102” may be used interchangeably without departing fromthe scope of this disclosure. As used in this document, client 102 isintended to encompass a personal computer, workstation, networkcomputer, kiosk, wireless data port, personal data assistant (PDA), oneor more processors within these or other devices, or any other suitableprocessing device. For example, client 102 may comprise a computer thatincludes an input device, such as a keypad, touch screen, mouse, orother device that can accept information, and an output device thatconveys information associated with the operation of server 104 orclients 102, including digital data, visual information, or customizabledisplay 116. Moreover, client 102 may comprise a keyboard customized tomatch one particular trading display 116, with each key mapped to aparticular frame, view, or functionality of trading display 116. Boththe input device and output device may include fixed or removablestorage media such as a magnetic computer disk, CD-ROM, or othersuitable media to both receive input from and provide output to users ofclients 102 through the customizable trading display, namely GUI 116.

GUI 116 comprises a graphical user interface operable to allow the userof client 102 to interface with system 100 to receive one or more setsof market data, each from one data provider 106. Generally, GUI 116provides the user of client 102 with an efficient and user-friendlypresentation of data provided by trading system 100. GUI 116 maycomprise a plurality of customizable frames or views having interactivefields, pull-down lists, and buttons operated by the user. In oneembodiment, GUI 116 presents a trading display that presents the variousmarket data feeds and receives commands from the user of client 102 viaone of the input devices. As illustrated in more detail in FIG. 2A,according to certain embodiments, trading display 116 includes tradinggrids, trading quads or quadrants 134, a command line, and a ticker.Moreover, it should be understood that the term graphical user interfacemay be used in the singular or in the plural to describe one or moregraphical user interfaces and each of the displays of a particulargraphical user interface. Further, trading display 116 contemplates anygraphical user interface, such as a generic web browser, that processesinformation in system 100 and efficiently presents the information tothe user. Server 104 can accept data from client 102 via the web browser(e.g., Microsoft Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator) and return theappropriate HTML or XML responses using network 108.

Network 108 facilitates wireless or wireline communication betweencomputer server 104 and any other computer. Network 108 may communicate,for example, Internet Protocol (IP) packets, Frame Relay frames,Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) cells, voice, video, data, and othersuitable information between network addresses. Network 108 may includeone or more local area networks (LANs), radio access networks (RANs),metropolitan area networks (MANs), wide area networks (WANs), all or aportion of the global computer network known as the Internet, and/or anyother communication system or systems at one or more locations. Client102 includes interface 112 for communicating with other computersystems, such as server 104, over network 108 in a client-server orother distributed environment. In certain embodiments, client 102receives market data 118 from network 108 for storage in memory 120.Generally, interface 112 comprises logic encoded in software and/orhardware in a suitable combination and operable to communicate withnetwork 108 via link 114. More specifically, interface 112 may comprisesoftware supporting one or more communications protocols associated withcommunications network 108 or hardware operable to communicate physicalsignals.

Memory 120 may include any memory or database module and may take theform of volatile or non-volatile memory including, without limitation,magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-onlymemory (ROM), removable media, or any other suitable local or remotememory component. In the illustrated embodiment, memory 120 includes atleast trade application 130, local market data 132, and quadrants 134,but may also include any other appropriate data.

Trade application 130 could include any hardware, software, firmware, orcombination thereof operable to receive and process market data 118 andpresent it to the trader through customizable trading display 116.Further, trade application 130 may receive and process customizationrequests from the trader using client 102 via trading display 116. Itwill be understood that while trade application 130 is illustrated as asingle multi-tasked module, the features and functionality performed bythese engine may be performed by multiple modules such as, for example,a data retrieval module and a presentation engine. Moreover, tradeapplication 130 may comprise a child or sub-module of another softwaremodule without departing from the scope of this disclosure. In short,trade application 130 comprises one or more software modules operable toprovide any appropriate backend processing for customizable tradingdisplay 116.

Local market data 132 stores one or more subsets of remote market data118, such as benchmark and non-benchmark instruments. Local market data132 may receive a copy of market data 118 through interface 112 or fromanother process running on client 102 as appropriate. As appropriate,local market data 132 may automatically, dynamically, or manuallyretrieve or receive market data 188 from central repository 110 at anyappropriate time. For example, trading application 130 may automaticallyretrieve a copy of market data 118 in central repository 110 uponinitial execution. Further, local market data 132 may be of any suitableformat including XML documents, flat files, comma-separated-value (CSV)files, SQL tables, relational database tables, and any other formatoperable to store at least one subset of market data 118. It will beunderstood that local market data 132 may be in a format different fromcentral repository 110 or communicated market data 118 so long as it iscompatible with trading display 116 and may be processed by tradingapplication 130.

Trading display 116 includes a number of quadrants 134 selected from aplurality of quadrants 134 stored in memory 120. Each quadrant 134 isoperable to display expanded trading information associated with onebenchmark instrument. Each quadrant 134 may also include one or morenon-benchmark instruments that may be selected, for example, in responseto the trader pressing one of the issue keys on the keyboard. Onequadrant 134 may also provide the trader with the ability to obtaintrading information for each of the related U.S. Treasury swaps,off-the-runs, yield curve U.S. Treasury swaps, basis, or any otherappropriate benchmark instrument.

Client 102 also includes processor 125. Processor 125 executesinstructions and manipulates data to perform the operations of client102 such as, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), anapplication specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a field-programmablegate array (FPGA). Although FIG. 1 illustrates a single processor 125 inclient 102, multiple processors 125 may be used according to particularneeds, and reference to processor 125 is meant to include multipleprocessors 125 where applicable. In certain embodiments, processor 125executes one or more processes associated with trade application 130 topresent market data 118 communicated from central repository 110 viadata providers 106.

Data provider 106 typically comprises a third party web server or anenterprise agent residing on a machine operable to communicate at leasta portion of market data 118 for storage in central repository 110. Itwill be understood that data provider 106 may be remote or on-site;further, data provider 106 may represent a separate process running onserver 104 or client 102 without departing from the scope of thisdisclosure. Generally, data provider 106 is any hardware, software, orlogic operable to provide trading system 100 with at least a subset ofany appropriate market data 118. Trading system 100 may comprise anynumber of data providers 106, as illustrated by data providers 106 a and106 b, as long as central repository 110 includes at least a portion ofdesired market data 118. For example, a plurality of data providers 106may be communicably daisy-chained off a master provider 106. Master dataprovider 106 may compile and verify substantially all of market data 118and communicate the compiled market data 118 to server 104 upon requestor at a scheduled time.

In one aspect of operation, trading application 130 is executed andinitialized either automatically, such as when client 102 is powered up,or in response to a command from the trader. Trading application 130determines a default configuration and layout for trading display 116,retrieves the appropriate market data for the benchmark andnon-benchmark instruments from central repository 110 and/or localmarket data 132, and generates customizable trading display 116 based onthe default configuration and retrieved data. The generated tradingdisplay 116 includes a plurality of customizable quadrants 134. Forexample, trading display 116 allows the trader to expand the viewablemarket depth in at least one of quadrants 134, select and replacevarious instruments in quadrants 134, or any customize according to anyother appropriate criteria. Trading application 130 processes eachcustomization and regenerates, or repaints, trading display 116 asappropriate.

FIG. 2A illustrates example customizable trading display 116.Illustrated trading display 116 includes a plurality of trading grids, aplurality of trading quads or quadrants 134, a command line, and aticker. Each trading grid presents market data and market updates onselected securities. From the trading grid, the trader can post marketsand execute trades. Trading display 116 may display grids in a tabbedformat or multiple panes of adjustable width. If necessary, horizontalscroll bars appear to allow the user to navigate the grid. Further, eachrow can be expanded to display the bid/offer list by selecting the arrowon the left of each row in a grid. Trading display 116 includes one ormore customizable quadrants 134 based on one of the cells in the grid.Each quadrant 134 is typically associated with a default layoutdetermined at initialization of trading application 130. This defaultlayout may be dynamically configured by the trader during processing.Illustrated display 116 includes four quadrants 134. But trading display116 may include any number of quadrants 134 so long as display 116remains appropriate. Using quadrants 134, the trader may view thebenchmark and non-benchmark instruments associated with the selectedmarket cell. As described above, each quadrant 134 may be linked to oneset of keys on the customized keyboard designating bid, offer, buy,sell, cancel bid/offer, and others. Trading display 116 may also includethe command line that may be used to enter orders using the number keysand keyboard shortcuts.

Status tabs may include active orders, trade history, market history,overall application status, or any other suitable status information.The active orders window displays information on all posted markets orunexecuted orders. This window displays information on all currentlyoutstanding bids and offers as well as information on buys and sellsthat have not been confirmed. Double clicking on an entry in this windowwill display a dialog that offers the option of canceling the selectedentry. The trade history window displays information on all confirmedtrades. The query trades command may be used be the trader to refreshthe contents of this window and trading history settings to specify thedates that the query trades command should specify. The market historywindow displays information on all markets and orders rejected by thetrading system. The overall application status window contains a log ofcommunications between components of trading system 100 as well as arecord of actions related to trading functions. According to certainembodiments, the contents may be communicated to a file or printer byright clicking in view 134. The ticker feature typically displays thetime and selected securities on a banner that scrolls across the screen.These example graphical features are for illustration purposes only andtrading display 116 comprises quadrants as well as none, some, or all ofthe remaining illustrative elements or alternative elements withoutdeparting from the scope of the disclosure. It will be understood thatillustrated display 116 is for example purposes only and trading display116 may comprise any appropriate graphical elements for presentingappropriate market data 118. Moreover, it will be understood that thedata displayed therein is for example purposes only and any appropriatemarket data 118 may be displayed.

FIGS. 2B and 2C illustrate example quadrant 134 including at least oneinstrument with expandable market depth. Illustrated quadrant 134 is atwo year U.S. Treasury expanded view including benchmark instrument 205and a plurality of non-benchmark instruments 215. According oneembodiment, quadrant 134 further includes a headline. Headline mayinclude the price that should be initially aggressed to start a trade orthe actual aggressed trade. The headline may further include the item,the price, the size, and the last price for the benchmark instrument.Quadrant 134 may include bid and offer stacks without departing from thescope of this disclosure. Bid and offer stacks may indicate the size ofone or many market participants that are bidding or offering at thecurrent price.

Under the benchmark instrument 205, trading application 130 may providethe trader with U.S. Treasury swap lock price (e.g., “L 99.26”) on thebenchmark instrument. U.S. Treasury swap trading relates to a chosenprice movement relationship between two different instruments. Quadrant134 may also include any other suitable trading information, such asmarket depth information, which shows price and size for items that havenot yet been traded. Illustrated U.S. Treasury swap lock price is L99.26. It will be understood that, for example, U.S. Treasury bonds aretraded at a percentage of a bond's face value. This percentage istypically broken down into 32nds of a point and fractions thereof.Often, the displayed prices shown represent the whole number portion andthe percentage being traded. For example, consider the price “99.256.”The number left of the decimal point, “99”, is equivalent to the wholenumber portion of the price and the number right of the decimal point,“256”, is equivalent to the fractional portion. According to certainembodiments, some prices may have “+” in the third digit right of thedecimal point. The “+” may represent 4/8th of a 32nd or half a 32nd.

Each instrument includes a market depth comprising a value between oneand ten. Each instrument in quadrant 134 may further have an upper andlower limit on the market depth that may be displayed. For example, thetrader may set the required upper and lower ranges within the range ofone and ten. Moreover, each displayed benchmark and non-benchmarkinstrument is associated with one identifiable GUI element 210 such asan arrow, a plus (+) sign, or any other GUI component operable to notifythe user that the instrument may or may not have market depth. Forexample, illustrated quadrangle 134 includes a shaded arrow 210associated with the benchmark instrument. According to certainembodiments, shaded arrow 210 (pointing to the right) signifies that theinstrument has market depth greater than one and, therefore, can beexpanded. Each unshaded arrow 210 (pointing to the right) signifies thatthe associated instrument has no market depth, or market depth equal toone, but can be expanded. For example, if the trader clicks on arrow 210(or presses a key or a key combination on the customized keyboard), themarket depth of the instrument is displayed. The trader will be able todefine the amount of depth shown when the instrument is expanded. Onceexpanded to the requested value, arrow 210 will typically point down, asillustrated in FIG. 2C. Typically, expanded quadrant 134 will rememberthe market depth layout for subsequent generation. If the market depthof one of the instruments is changed, often trading application 130 willmodify the instrument at the same position in other quadrants 134 on thesame row in display 116 to keep the view symmetrical. It will beunderstood that arrows 210 are for illustration purposes only and thatany GUI element may be used without departing from the scope of thedisclosure.

FIGS. 3A-D illustrate an example trading display 116 includingselectable instruments in accordance with trading system 100. Theillustrated data and layout thereof are similar to that in FIGS. 2B-C.As illustrated in FIGS. 3A-D, quadrant 134 provides the trader with theability to select various instruments for display with quadrant 134. Forexample, the trader may select a different benchmark instrument, afterwhich trading application 130 retrieves data for the replace benchmarkinstrument and all default associated non-benchmark instruments andregenerates the entire quadrant 130 based on this retrieved data. Inanother example, the trader may select a replacement non-benchmarkinstrument. In this example, trading application 130 may retrieve thedata associated this instrument alone from local market data 132 orcentral repository 110 as appropriate. Next, trading application 130repaints quadrant 134.

According to certain embodiments, to select a replacement instrument,the trader presses the right mouse button over the selected instrumentto access a popup window, as illustrated in FIG. 3B. The trader thenselects “Change Instrument” from the popup window, which then provides alist of replacement instruments. It will be understood that eachchangeable instrument may have a list of none, one, or more possiblereplacements. The trader selects one replacement instrument from thelist provided. Typically, no duplicate instruments are allowed on thesame quadrant 134 or display 116. Then trading application 130regenerates or repaints the effected quadrant 134 as appropriate. Butthe default view of quadrant 134 may be reverted to at anytime withoutdeparting from the scope of this disclosure

It will be understood that FIGS. 2B-C and 3A-D are for illustrationpurposes only. Each illustrates one or more example outcomes of aparticular customisation technique such as, for example, expansion ofmarket depth and selection of replacement instruments. While illustratedseparately, these techniques may be implemented alternatively or incombination within one or more trading displays 116, one or morequadrants 134, or any other appropriate functional element.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example method 400 for providing acustomizable trading display 116 of market data in accordance with oneembodiment of the present disclosure. Generally, method 400 describestrading client 102 initializing, generating, and presenting tradingdisplay 116 to a trader. Method 400 is described in respect to system100 and trading application 130. However, any other suitable system mayuse appropriate embodiments of method 400 to present customizabletrading display 116 to the trader without departing from the scope ofthis disclosure.

Method 400 begins at step 402, where trading application 130 selects asubset of quadrants 134 from memory 120. It will be understood that thisselection may occur automatically through trading application 130determining a default configuration, receiving a selection from thetrader using client 102, or any other appropriate selection technique.Next, at step 404, trading application 130 associates one benchmarkinstrument with each selected quadrant 134. Trading application 130 thenqueries central repository 110 based on each determined benchmark atstep 406. The query from trading application 130 may include a requestfor market data 118 associated with each benchmark and market data 118for each non-benchmark instrument associated with the selectedbenchmark. Trading application 130 may query local market data 132alternatively or in combination with central repository 110 at step 406.At step 408, trading application 130 receives benchmark data for eachselected view from central repository 110. Trading application 130receives non-benchmark instrument data associated with each benchmark atstep 410. Once the views have been selected and the appropriate data hasbeen compiled, trading application then generates the customizabletrading display 116 in steps 414 through 434.

Trading application 130 begins generating trading display 116 byselecting a first expanded view or quadrant 134 from the selected subsetat step 412. Next, at step 414, trading application 130 initializes themarket depth of each instrument in the selected quadrant 134. Accordingto certain embodiments, trading application 130 may determine the marketdepth based on a stored configuration, a default value, or any otherappropriate parameter. Next, at decisional step 416, trading application130 determines if the benchmark associated with the selected view 134has an available market depth greater than one. If the benchmark has anavailable market depth greater than one, then trading application 130generates an identifiable GUI element 210, such as a shaded or coloredarrow or plus sign, to represent expandable market depth associated withthe benchmark at step 418. Next, or if the benchmark does not have anavailable market depth greater than one, processing proceeds to step420, where trading application 130 selects the first non-benchmarkinstrument associated with the benchmark. At decisional step 422,trading application 130 determines if the non-benchmark instrumentassociated with the selected view 134 has an available market depthgreater than one. If the non-benchmark instrument has an availablemarket depth greater than one, then trading application 130 generates anidentifiable GUI element 210 to represent expandable market depthassociated with the non-benchmark instrument at step 424.

Trading application 130 then determines if there are more non-benchmarkinstruments associated with the benchmark at decisional step 426. Ifthere are more non-benchmark instruments, then trading application 130selects the next non-benchmark instrument in the selected quadrant 134at step 427 and processing returns to decisional step 422. Once thereare no more non-benchmark instruments in the selected view 134, thenprocessing proceeds to decisional step 428. At decisional step 428,trading application 130 determines if there are more quadrants 134 inthe subset previously selected at step 402. If there are more quadrants134, then trading application 130 selects the next view 134 in thesubset and execution returns to step 414. Once all the selectedquadrants 134 have been initially processed, then trading application130 generates or paints each selected quadrant 134 at step 430 based onmarket data received in steps 408 and 410 and the settings determined insteps 414 through 424. Next, at step 432, trading application 130generates customizable display 116 based on the generated views. Oncethe customizable trading display 116 has been generated, tradingapplication 130 presents trading display 116 to a trader or otherappropriate user of client 102.

FIGS. 5A-B are flowcharts illustrating example methods 500 and 550 forprocessing dynamic customizations to trading display 116 by a trader.Generally, methods 500 and 550 describes trading client 102 receivingcustomization requests from the trader, processing any suitablecustomizations, and presenting an updated trading display 116 based uponthe processed customizations. Methods 500 and 550 are described inrespect to trading system 100. However, any other suitable system mayuse different embodiments of methods 500 and 550 to customize tradingdisplay 116 without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

FIG. 5A illustrates an example method 500 for changing one view 134 andtrading display 116 according to certain embodiments of the disclosure.Method 500 begins at step 502, where trading application 130 receives arequest to change a benchmark from a trader at a first quadrant, orexpanded view, 134 and display 116. At decisional step 504, tradingapplication 130 determines if the requested benchmark is alreadyrepresented in trading display 116. If the benchmark is alreadyrepresented, then trading application 130 communicates an error messageto the trader via display 116 at step 506. Otherwise, tradingapplication 130 selects a replacement view or quadrant 134 based on therequested benchmark at step 508. Next, at step 510, trading application130 queries central repository 110 based on the requested benchmark.According to certain embodiments, trading application 130 may querylocal market data 132 alternatively or in combination with centralrepository 110. At step 512, trading application receives the marketdata for the benchmark associated with the replacement quadrant 134.Trading application 130 then receives market data for one or morenon-benchmark instruments associated with the replacement benchmark atstep 514. Next, at step 516, trading application 130 generates thereplacement view 134 based on the received data. During the generationprocess, trading application 130 may initialize the current market depthfor each instrument in the replacement view 134. Moreover, tradingapplication 130 may generate one identifiable GUI element for eachinstrument that includes an available market depth greater than one.Trading application 130 then replaces the first view with the generatedreplacement view at step 518. At step 520, trading application 130regenerates, or repaints, customizable trading display 116 based on thereplacement view and the views remaining in display 116. Once display116 has been regenerated, then trading application presents the updatedcustomizable trading display 116 to the trader or other appropriate userat step 522.

FIG. 5B illustrates an example method 550 for updating the viewablemarket depth of one of the instruments in trading display 116. Examplemethod 550 begins at step 552, where trading application 130 receives aselection of one of the instruments in a first view in trading display116. Next, at step 554, trading application 130 receives a request todisplay the available market depth at the selected instrument via anassociated identifiable GUI element 210. As illustrated in FIGS. 2B-C,this identifiable GUI element 210 may comprise an arrow of a particularcolor or shading. Trading application 130 then determines if theselected instrument has any available market depth at decisional step556. If not, then processing ends, trading application 130 communicatesan error message to the trader, or any other appropriate response to aninvalid request occurs. Otherwise, trading application 130 expands thefirst quadrant 134 to include the requested market depth for theselected instrument at step 558. Trading application 130 then determinesif there is a second quadrant 134 associated with first view 134 atdecisional step 560. For example, first and second quadrants 134 may besubstantially adjacent in display 116. If two or more quadrants 134 areassociated, then trading application 130 expands the size of at leastthe second view 134 to match expanded first quadrant 134 at step 562.Part of this expansion process may include trading application 130scaling the remaining views 134 and display 116 to maintain anappropriate size of display 116. Next, at step 564, trading application130 stores the current market depth sentence for each instrument and theviews 134 for subsequent generation. Once the appropriate views 134 havebeen expanded and, as appropriate, scaled, then trading application 130regenerates display 116 based on the updated views 134 and presentsdisplay 116 to the trader.

The preceding flowcharts focus on the operation of example tradingsystem 100 described in FIG. 1, as this diagram illustrates functionalelements that provide for the preceding techniques for presenting andprocessing customizable trading display 116. However, as noted, tradingsystem 100 contemplates using any suitable combination and arrangementof functional elements for providing these operations, and thesetechniques can be combined with other techniques as appropriate.Further, various changes may be made to the preceding flowcharts withoutdeparting from the scope of this disclosure. For example, many of thesteps in these flowcharts may take place simultaneously and/or indifferent orders than as shown. Moreover, trading system 100 mayimplement methods with additional steps, fewer steps, and/or differentsteps, so long as the methods remain appropriate.

Although this disclosure has been described in terms of certainembodiments and generally associated methods, alterations andpermutations of these embodiments and methods will be apparent to thoseskilled in the art. Accordingly, the above description of exampleembodiments does not define or constrain this disclosure. Other changes,substitutions, and alterations are also possible without departing fromthe spirit and scope of this disclosure.

1. A method for providing a customizable trading display of marketinstrument data comprises: selecting a subset from a plurality ofquadrants, each quadrant associated with one benchmark instrument, eachbenchmark instrument associated with one or more non-benchmarkinstruments; automatically retrieving market data for the instrumentsassociated with each selected quadrant; and generating a customizabletrading display, the display comprising the subset of quadrants and eachquadrant including the associated market data.
 2. The method of claim 1further comprising: receiving a selection of a new benchmark instrumentfrom one of the selected quadrants; selecting a replacement quadrantfrom the plurality of quadrants, the replacement quadrant associatedwith the new benchmark instrument; automatically retrieving market datafor the instruments associated with the replacement quadrant; andupdating the customizable display based on the replacement quadrant, thereplacement quadrant including the new market data.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, each instrument comprising a market depth and the methodfurther comprises generating each quadrant based on a default marketdepth for each associated instrument.
 4. The method of claim 3, eachmarket depth comprising a value between one and ten.
 5. The method ofclaim 3 further comprising updating the current market depth associatedwith one instrument in response to receiving a market depth updaterequest, the market depth update request comprising a market depth valuedifferent from the current market value of the instrument to be updated.6. The method of claim 5 further comprising expanding the quadrantassociated with the updated instrument based on the updated marketdepth.
 7. The method of claim 6, the quadrant comprising a firstquadrant and the method further comprising: selecting a second quadrantassociated with the first quadrant; expanding the second quadrant tomatch a size of the first quadrant; and scaling the remaining quadrantsto maintain a size of the customizable trading display.
 8. The method ofclaim 4 further comprising, in response to the market depth of oneinstrument being greater than one, generating an identifiable graphicaluser interface (GUI) element associated with the instrument forinclusion in the trading display, the GUI element operable to request anexpansion of the associated instrument.
 9. Software for providing acustomizable trading display of market instrument data comprises: selecta subset from a plurality of quadrants, each quadrant associated withone benchmark instrument and at least one non-benchmark instrument, eachnon-benchmark instrument associated with the benchmark instrument;automatically retrieve market data for the instruments associated witheach selected quadrant; and generate a customizable trading display, thedisplay comprising the subset of quadrants and each quadrant includingthe associated market data.
 10. The software of claim 9 further operableto: receive a selection of a new benchmark instrument from one of theselected quadrants; select a replacement quadrant from the plurality ofquadrants, the replacement quadrant associated with the new benchmarkinstrument; automatically retrieve market data for the instrumentsassociated with the replacement quadrant; and update the customizabledisplay based on the replacement quadrant, the replacement quadrantincluding the new market data.
 11. The software of claim 9, eachinstrument comprising a market depth and the software further operableto generate each quadrant based on a default market depth for eachassociated instrument.
 12. The software of claim 11, each market depthcomprising a value between one and five.
 13. The software of claim 11further operable to update the current market depth associated with oneinstrument in response to receiving a market depth update request, themarket depth update request comprising a market depth value differentfrom the current market value of the instrument to be updated.
 14. Thesoftware of claim 13 further operable to expand the quadrant associatedwith the updated instrument based on the updated market depth.
 15. Thesoftware of claim 14, the quadrant comprising a first quadrant and thesoftware further operable to: select a second quadrant associated withthe first quadrant; expand the second quadrant to match a size of thefirst quadrant; and scale the remaining quadrants to maintain a size ofthe customizable trading display.
 16. The software of claim 12 furtheroperable to, in response to the market depth of one instrument beinggreater than one, generate an identifiable graphical user interface(GUI) element associated with the instrument for inclusion in thetrading display, the GUI element operable to request an expansion of theassociated instrument.
 17. A trading system for providing a customizabletrading display of market instrument data comprises: a centralrepository operable to store a plurality of market data; and a tradingclient comprising: memory operable to store a plurality of quadrants,each quadrant associated with one benchmark instrument and at least onenon-benchmark instrument, each non-benchmark instrument associated withthe benchmark instrument; and one or more processors operable to: selecta subset from the plurality of quadrants; automatically retrieve marketdata for the instruments associated with each selected quadrant from thecentral repository; and generate a customizable trading display, thedisplay comprising the subset of quadrants and each quadrant includingthe associated market data.
 18. The trading system of claim 17, the oneor more processors further operable to: receive a selection of a newbenchmark instrument from one of the selected quadrants; select areplacement quadrant from the plurality of quadrants, the replacementquadrant associated with the new benchmark instrument; automaticallyretrieve market data for the instruments associated with the replacementquadrant; and update the customizable display based on the replacementquadrant, the replacement quadrant including the new market data. 19.The trading system of claim 17, each instrument comprising a marketdepth and the one or more processors further operable to generate eachquadrant based on a default market depth for each associated instrument.20. The trading system of claim 19, each market depth comprising a valuebetween one and five. 21-25. (canceled)